Page 28 (1/2)
Theconsequences on consciousness and, thus, influences the basic nature of a society Music and its rhyth the limits within which a consciousness, thus fascinated, may operate Control the music, then, and you own a powerful tool hich to shape the society
- The Dosadi Analysis, BuSab Documents
It was a half-hour before Jedrik and McKie found the to her quarters McKie, aware of the effort she was expending to conceal a deep weariness, watched her carefully She concentrated on presenting a show of vitality, her attention glued on the prospect ahead There was no way of telling ent on in her mind McKie did not attempt to break the silence He had his oorries
Which was the real Jedrik? Hoas she going to employ Pcharky? Could he resist her?
He kneas close to a solution of the Dosadi a from the projection roo situation, as though it were so had been prepared for their , doors opened But every tiht the way clear, they met interference Except for the obvious importance of the ine a conspiracy
A party of Gowachin at Gate Seventy wanted to surrender, but they demanded a parley first One of Jedrik&039;s aides didn&039;t like the situation So about the assessment of the offer bothered her, and she wanted to discuss it with Jedrik She stopped them halfway down the first hall outside the projection roouely of a Wreave lab worker at BuSab, one who&039;d always been suspicious of coonistic toward them This Wreave had read every bit of history he could find about the evolution of such instruments and liked to remind his listeners of the misuses of the DemoPol Human history had provided hiainst "enslavement by machines" Once, he&039;d cornered McKie
"Look here! See this sign: &039;Gigo&039; That&039;s a very old sign that was hung above one of your ancient computers It&039;s an acronye Out&039; You see! They knew"
Yes Jedrik&039;s female aide reminded him of that Wreave
McKie listened to her worries She roa on a particular thing Aware of Aritch&039;s deadline and Jedrik&039;s fatigue, McKie felt the pressures bearing down upon him The aide&039;s data was accurate Others had checked it Finally, he could hold his ier
"Who fed this data into your computer?"
The aide was startled at the interruption, but Jedrik turned to hi
"I think it was Holjance," the aide said "Why?"
"Get him in here"
"Her"
"Her, then! Make sure she&039;s actually the one who fed in that data"
Holjance was a pinch-faced woht eyes Her hair was dark and wiry, skin almost the color of McKie&039;s Yes, she was the one who&039;d fed the data into the computer because it had arrived on her shift, and she&039;d thought it too iate
"What is it you want?" she demanded
He saw no rudeness in this It was Dosadi directness I all around Don&039;t waste time
"You saw this assessment of the surrender offer?" he asked
"Yes"
"Are you satisfied with it?"
"The data went in correctly"
"That&039;s not my question"
"Of course I&039;ainst any charge that she&039;d slighted her job
"Tell me, Holjance," he said, "if you wanted the Gowachin computers to produce inaccurate assessht about this a lanced alht "Well, sir, we have a regular filtering procedure for preventing"
"That&039;s it," Jedrik said "If I were a Gowachin, I would not be doing that right now"
Jedrik turned, barked orders to the guards behind her
"That&039;s another trap! Take care of it"
As they eed from the elevator on Jedrik&039;s floor, there was another delay, one of the escort who&039;d been with McKie at Gate Eighteen His na the faint betrayal of pleasure this elicited Pellas, too, had doubts about carrying out a particular order
"We&039;re supposed to back up Tria&039;sacross the upper parkway, but there are sorowth knocked down up there that haven&039;t been moved for two days"
"Who knocked down those trees?" McKie asked
"We did"
McKie understood You feinted The Gowachin were supposed to believe this would provide cover for an attack, but there&039;d been no attack for two days
"They must be under pretty heavy strain," Jedrik said
McKie nodded That, too, made sense The alternative Gowachin assu to fake them into an attack at that point But the cover had not been removed by either side for two days
Jedrik took a deep breath
"We have superior firepower and when Triawell You should be able to cut right through there to"
McKie interrupted
"Call off that attack"
"But"
"Call it off!"
She saw the direction of his reasoning Broey had learned much from the force which Gar and Tria had trained And Jedrik herself had provided the final ee her orders to Pellas
Pellas had taken it upon hi for Jedrik&039;s response, although she was his commander He already had a co rapidly into it
"Yes! Dig in for a holding action"
He spoke in an aside to Jedrik
"I can handle it from here"
In a few steps, Jedrik and McKie found theainst the door, no longer trying to conceal her fatigue
"McKie, you&039;re beco panels, pulled out the bed
"You need rest"
"No time"
Yes, she knew all about the sixty-hour deadline - less than fifty-five hours now Dosadi&039;s destruction was a reaction she hadn&039;t expected from "X," and she blamed herself
He turned, studied her, saw that she&039;d passed some previously defined limit of personal endurance She possessed no amplifiers of muscles or senses, none of the sophisticated aids McKie could call upon in enificent mind and body And she&039;d almost run them out Still, she pressed on This told hireat deal about her motivation
McKie found himself deeply touched by the fact that she&039;d not once berated hi that ultimate threat which Aritch held over Dosadi She&039;d accepted it that someone in Aritch&039;s position could erase an entire planet, that McKie had been properlythis
The alternative she offered filled McKie with e bodies?
He understood now that this was Pcharky&039;s function, the price the old Gowachin paid for survival Jedrik had explained